Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180015A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls 00:13 and to be diligent to present yourself approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is "Preparation for the End Time." 00:32 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:35 And we are excited about 00:37 the study that we are doing during this quarter, 00:40 Preparation for the End Times. 00:41 And I hope that you have been blessed by the first lesson. 00:46 We are in the second lesson of this quarterly. 00:48 And we are grateful to the Lord for the opportunity 00:51 to share with you all the blessings 00:52 God has given to us as we studied. 00:55 And we hope that you follow along with your Bible. 00:57 We would like to introduce our panel that is with us. 01:00 And to my left, we have Sister Shelley Quinn, 01:02 welcome. 01:04 Thank you. Good to be here. 01:05 Thank you for joining us. 01:07 Pastor CA Murray, 01:09 our general manager for the Proclaim channel. 01:12 Good to be here, Johnny. 01:13 Good to be here. Thank you. 01:15 I'm glad that you are here. 01:16 And Sister... 01:17 Jill Morikone, our general manager for 3ABN. 01:20 Welcome. Thank you. 01:22 We always enjoy 01:24 what the Lord has brought to you as you study. 01:26 And we have Dr. Yvonne Lewis Shelton 01:29 that is with us, 01:31 our general manager for Dare to Dream Network. 01:33 Thank you for coming. Thank you. 01:35 This is going to be a blessing. 01:36 And we hope that you will join us as we study. 01:39 Right now, what we're going to do 01:41 is ask the Lord to bless our study, 01:43 so I'm going to ask Sister Shelley Quinn 01:44 to lead us in prayer 01:46 that the Lord may bless us during this study together. 01:49 Heavenly Father, we come in the name of Jesus, 01:51 thanking You so much, Lord, for Your Word. 01:55 And, Lord, we know You 01:56 exalt Your Word even above Your names, 01:58 so we ask in the name of Jesus now 02:00 that you will empty us of us, 02:03 fill us with Your Holy Spirit. 02:05 Send Your Holy Spirit to be our teacher 02:08 and make everything we say exalt Your Word 02:11 in absolute truth, 02:13 in Jesus' name, amen. 02:15 Jesus' name. Amen. 02:16 Amen. Amen. 02:17 Well, we are using a Sabbath School Quarterly 02:21 that the Seventh-day Adventist church prepares. 02:23 And you can get a free copy. 02:25 We would like to give you the information 02:27 as to how you can do that. 02:28 You can go to the website ABSG, ABSG, 02:34 that's Adult Bible Study Guide dot-Adventist dot-org. 02:40 And so there you can download the study guide. 02:43 If you didn't copy the page correctly, 02:46 you can contact 3ABN to give you that information. 02:49 ABSG.Adventist.org, 02:52 and you can download the study guide 02:53 and follow along. 02:54 Of course, your Bible is the book of choice 02:58 to follow along, 03:00 because what we're doing is studying the Bible. 03:02 So the lessons are to be a guide for us. 03:05 And so this Sabbath school lesson 03:10 has Daniel and the End Time, 03:14 Daniel and the End Time. 03:15 We're going to look through several scriptures 03:17 in this week study. 03:18 And that is Luke 16:10, 03:21 Daniel 1 and 2, Daniel 3:1-5. 03:25 We're going to go to Revelation 13:11-15, 03:28 Daniel 3:13-18, and John 3:7, and Daniel 4 and 6. 03:33 We're going to be taking a look at these scriptures 03:36 to help us get the basis for the message, 03:39 Daniel and the End Time. 03:42 The memory text that we have for this lesson 03:45 is in Daniel 2:47. 03:48 A marvelous thing that King Nebuchadnezzar said, 03:52 notice, "The king answered Daniel, 03:54 and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, 03:58 the Lord of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, 04:01 since you could reveal this secret." 04:05 "This is a marvelous scripture, 04:07 and for King Nebuchadnezzar to say this, 04:11 you may remember that Babylon had many gods, 04:15 but here Nebuchadnezzar is saying 04:17 that God is the God of gods, 04:19 not only this, 04:21 "He is the Lord of kings," it says. 04:23 If you read the verse before verse 46, 04:25 you will notice that he was so shocked, 04:29 so amazed by Daniel revealing the dream 04:32 that he fell prostrate on the ground. 04:34 Amazing thing for a king, 04:36 all the people that were there were like, "Wow, this is..." 04:39 "Here is the King Nebuchadnezzar 04:41 bowing down." 04:42 Incredible! 04:43 Because God is a God of gods. 04:45 And we want to talk to you a little bit 04:47 about the people of Israel. 04:48 The people of Israel, 04:50 the Lord had great plans for the people of Israel. 04:53 But what happened? 04:55 Why are they now captive in Babylon? 04:57 The reason they're captive 04:59 is because they had not been faithful. 05:01 You see, in Isaiah 43:10-12, 05:05 we have the scriptures that tell us these words. 05:09 ""You are My witnesses," says the Lord, 05:10 "And My servant whom I have chosen, 05:13 that you may know and believe and understand that I am He. 05:16 Before Me, there was no God formed 05:18 nor shall there be after Me. 05:20 Even I, I am the Lord, 05:21 and besides Me, there is no savior. 05:23 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, 05:26 and there was no foreign god among you. 05:28 Therefore you are My witnesses," says the Lord, 05:30 "That I am God." 05:32 The people of Israel were to be His witnesses 05:35 to other nations that there is no other God. 05:38 And we have in Ezekiel 39:23. 05:43 I would like to ask one of our distinctive panel members 05:47 to help us with Ezekiel 39. 05:49 And we're going to read verse 23, Ezekiel 39:23. 05:53 And if someone has it, would you please make it known? 05:56 "The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel 05:59 went into captivity for their iniquity, 06:01 because they were unfaithful to Me, 06:03 therefore I hid My face from them. 06:06 I gave them into the hand of their enemies, 06:08 and they all fell by the sword." 06:10 So we see here that God is letting the people know 06:13 that even the Gentiles would know 06:15 that the people of Israel had gone into captivity 06:17 because of their iniquity, 06:20 but even so, even though they were in captivity, 06:24 they were still to be witnesses. 06:25 And we find that Daniel and his friends, 06:28 when you read Daniel 1 and onward, 06:30 you will notice that they were as witnesses to the Lord, 06:34 they were example of what the people of Israel 06:36 were to be like to other nations. 06:39 And right here at this moment, 06:42 this scripture that we read, the memory text, 06:45 points that out perfectly. 06:47 Daniel had been faithful to the Lord, 06:48 and he was an example 06:52 of what God's people were to be like. 06:54 So when you read the Book of Daniel, 06:55 you notice that Daniel and his friends were faithful 06:57 even in the midst of danger, danger to their lives. 07:03 They were even thrown into the fiery furnace. 07:07 Daniel was thrown in the lion's den, 07:09 still faithful because of his faithfulness. 07:12 And so we, likewise, have to be faithful 07:15 whatever we face. 07:17 And when you look at the Book of Daniel, 07:19 the stories... 07:21 Some people just read the prophecies, 07:22 but the stories have important information 07:25 that we need to read, we need to grasp, 07:27 we need to gather from them important lessons 07:31 that we could use in our lives. 07:33 And so even Daniel 1, when you read Daniel 1, 07:36 you find there 07:37 that it gives you the basic fundamental things 07:41 to understand the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. 07:45 So let's go into Sunday's lesson. 07:50 In Sunday's lesson of the quarterly, 07:53 the text that is given to us as the springboard 07:56 is Luke 16:10. 07:59 I will read that, Luke 16:10, 08:01 "He who is faithful in what is least 08:05 is faithful also in much, 08:07 and he who is unjust in what is least 08:10 is unjust also in much." 08:13 And so Jesus says these words, and they are very important. 08:18 We can examine ourselves. 08:20 Are you being faithful in the little things? 08:22 Because when greater tests come, 08:25 you're going to fail. 08:26 So the best thing for us to do is to face each day 08:29 looking unto Jesus, 08:31 the Author and Finisher of our faith. 08:32 That's why Jesus said, "If any man will come after Me, 08:35 let him take up his cross daily and follow after Me." 08:39 And so here's the question that the lesson brings out 08:43 which I think is very interesting. 08:45 In what ways did the stand that Daniel, Hananiah, 08:48 Mishael, Azariah, and his friends, 08:51 so Daniel and his friends, how... 08:54 In the way they took their stand, 08:56 reflect what ancient Israel 08:58 was supposed to be to the other nation. 09:00 When they faced trials and difficulties, 09:03 they were supposed to be faithful 09:05 and be an example to other nations. 09:07 It is marvelous the promises 09:09 that God gives to the people of Israel. 09:11 And these promises, 09:14 I would like to read to you from Deuteronomy 4. 09:16 Deuteronomy 4, I'm going to read verses 6-8. 09:20 Notice what God says to the people of Israel. 09:23 "Therefore be careful to observe them 09:26 for this is your wisdom and your understanding 09:28 in the sight of the peoples," other nations, 09:32 "who will hear all these statutes, 09:33 and say, "Surely, this great nation 09:36 is a wise and understanding people." 09:39 For what great nation is there 09:41 that has God so near to it as the Lord, our God, is to us, 09:46 for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 09:49 And what great nation is there 09:51 that has such statutes and righteous judgments 09:53 as are in all this law 09:56 which I set before you this day?" 09:58 So as you read Deuteronomy, 10:00 you will notice that God shares with the people of Israel 10:02 great principles even on health 10:05 and how to live their daily lives, 10:07 and, of course, the great Ten Commandments. 10:11 If they would live by these things, 10:14 God would be with them, God would protect them. 10:17 The seeds they planted will grow plenty of fruits. 10:21 They would have plenty of children. 10:23 And they would not lack any good thing. 10:26 If they were faithful to God, 10:28 God would be with them all the days of their lives. 10:31 But now the people of Israel 10:32 found themselves captives in Babylon. 10:35 And Daniel and his friends face a great challenge. 10:39 In Daniel 1, you will notice that 10:41 it talks about the people of Israel 10:42 being taking captive, 10:44 and we are pointed to Daniel and his friends. 10:48 And they traveled almost 1,000 miles, 10:51 which is about 1,500 kilometers, 10:53 taken captive, 10:54 and now the king tells them to choose from among them. 11:01 Some of the wise, some other people from royalty, 11:04 so they could be trained 11:06 according to the Babylonian way, 11:08 and they could be leaders among the people of Israel 11:12 so that they will keep the people of Israel 11:13 in check 11:15 for King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylon. 11:19 And so in Daniel 1:5, it says, 11:24 "And the king appointed for them 11:25 a daily provision of the king's delicacies 11:28 and of the wine which he drank 11:30 and three years of training for them, 11:32 so that at the end of that time, 11:33 they might serve before the king." 11:36 So Daniel saw the menu, and he says, 11:40 "Uh-oh, we have a problem here." 11:43 And Daniel had been instructed 11:45 in what is the best thing to eat and drink 11:48 that will be for your best health. 11:51 So when he saw this, he says, 11:53 "Can you please give us the opportunity to eat?" 11:57 It says in the King James "pulse," 11:59 but this is really vegetables. 12:01 And he says, "Vegetables and water to drink." 12:04 Of course, the Eunuch was surprised, 12:08 and he says, "But wait a minute," 12:11 first they are being given what they thought was the best. 12:15 This is what the king ate. 12:17 So you're thinking, "You know what the king eats?" 12:20 They were surprised. 12:21 But Daniel said, he wants vegetables and water to drink. 12:24 And he says, "Look, if I bring you before the king, 12:26 and you're going to look weaker than the others, 12:28 and you're... 12:29 No, no, no, no. 12:30 You're going to have to eat what the king says." 12:32 So he says, "Please, give us a 10-day test." 12:33 "Okay, 10 days sounds reasonable." 12:36 And he gave them a 10-day test. 12:37 And it's interesting what happens. 12:40 Because at the end of 10 days, 12:42 what happened at the end of 10 days? 12:44 At the end of 10 days, verse 15, 12:46 "At the end of 10 days, 12:47 their features appeared better and fatter in flesh 12:50 than all the young men 12:51 who ate the portion of the king's delicacies. 12:53 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies 12:56 and the wine that they were to drink, 12:57 and gave them vegetables and water." 13:00 Now I mentioned about a 1,000 miles, 13:02 1,500 kilometers or so, 13:03 because all of the others have walked the same distance. 13:07 And now you have two groups, 13:11 one eating the king's delicacies 13:13 and you have Daniel and his friends 13:14 eating vegetables and drinking water. 13:16 And they could see a difference in 10 days 13:18 between these who had walked the same distance, 13:20 that's why it says there their faces look fatter 13:23 because fatter in flesh and look better, 13:27 because they were eating something 13:29 that was better for them. 13:30 The others were not able to recover their strength 13:32 as quick as Daniel and his friends had done. 13:35 And grace be to God, God blesses our faithfulness. 13:38 And I see that my time is running short, 13:40 so I have to say this. 13:41 Daniel and his friends were faithful. 13:43 And this is an example to us today, 13:46 it was an example for the people of Israel, 13:48 example for Babylon, 13:49 an example for us living today 13:51 to be faithful whatever the circumstances are. 13:54 And if you face a similar circumstance 13:57 and you want to be faithful to the Lord, 13:59 pray that the Lord will give you favor 14:01 so that the things you asked for 14:03 will also be given to you. 14:05 And so this is a marvelous, marvelous lesson. 14:07 And we encourage you to stay by 14:08 because great things are going to happen now 14:10 as we continue our study as Sister Shelley continues. 14:13 Thank you, Brother Johnny, I always... 14:15 You're the best story teller, isn't he? 14:18 Absolutely. I just loved it. 14:19 My day is Monday's lesson, 14:22 and Monday's lesson is the humility of Daniel. 14:26 I just want to say this about the Book of Daniel, 14:29 untold, thousands of people 14:32 have come to believe in the Bible 14:34 because of the Book of Daniel. 14:36 And particularly, I believe 14:38 it's because God's foreknowledge 14:41 as He predicts these things, 14:44 this provides powerful rational evidence 14:50 that God is God. 14:52 So we are told in Monday to read Daniel 2. 14:57 I'm not going to take time to read all of Daniel 2, 14:59 but let me read the first verse 15:01 then I'll tell you the rest of the story. 15:03 In Daniel 2:1, it says. 15:05 "Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, 15:08 Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, 15:10 and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him." 15:16 So what Nebuchadnezzar does is he calls in 15:19 all of the wise men of his court. 15:22 And he demands that 15:26 they not only interpret his dream, 15:29 he demands that they tell him his dream and interpret it. 15:33 And they're all saying, "No one can do this, no one." 15:38 And so he orders that the wise men will be killed. 15:42 Well, Daniel was among that group of wise men, 15:44 wasn't he? 15:45 He was one of the wise men. 15:47 So he goes to the king, 15:48 he pleads for a little extra time 15:51 and says, "Give me till tomorrow." 15:54 And the king says, "Okay." 15:58 So Daniel goes to his friends, and what do they do? 16:01 They pray. 16:03 They pray earnestly 16:04 because this is a life and death prayer. 16:06 Is it not? Amen. 16:08 So they pray, and God tells them the dream. 16:12 And He gives them the interpretation. 16:14 So Daniel goes back to the king, and he says, 16:17 "Oh, King, your astrologers, your magician, 16:20 your soothsayers, nobody could tell this." 16:24 But, in verse 28, he says, 16:26 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, 16:31 and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar 16:33 what will be in the latter days." 16:37 The time of the end when God establishes His kingdom. 16:41 He said, "Your dream and the visions 16:45 of your head upon your bed were these." 16:48 Well, first, we just want to take, 16:50 just pause for a second, 16:52 here Daniel is a wise man, 16:53 he could have gone to the king and said, 16:57 "I've got the answer, nobody else can tell you, 17:00 but I've got the answer." 17:02 But he didn't, he gives God all the glory. 17:06 And what I have learned over the last few years 17:10 is that true humility is total dependence upon God. 17:16 So Daniel was a truly humble man. 17:19 He was utterly dependent upon God. 17:22 And he recognized and gave God all the glory. 17:27 So this dream was a dream of the history of the world. 17:32 It is amazing to me because in Daniel 2, 17:36 in about 150 words, 17:38 Daniel foretells 2,500 years of history, 17:44 as God gave this to him, 17:46 and he tells about five major kingdoms 17:50 that impacted God's people. 17:52 So this began where Daniel was then 17:56 in the kingdom, Babylon, 17:58 which in this dream, the king had seen this statue, 18:03 and the head was the head of gold, 18:04 this was Babylon. 18:06 But that metal ceases 18:08 and then it goes on to Medo-Persia, 18:11 which has the silver arms and breasts, 18:14 but then that metal ceases, 18:16 and it goes down to bronze belly and thighs, 18:19 which is Greece. 18:21 And the Bible tells... 18:22 It shows all of this. 18:24 That metal ceases 18:25 and then it goes down to the legs of iron 18:29 which was Pagan Rome, then that metal never ceases. 18:34 That's interesting 18:36 because then it goes down into the feet, in the toes, 18:39 and it's iron mingled with clay on these feet 18:44 and the ten toes. 18:46 And that is modern Europe today. 18:48 So in Daniel 2:43, he says, 18:53 "You saw iron mixed with ceramic clay," 18:57 and this is symbolic of modern Europe." 19:00 He said, "They will mingle with the seed of men, 19:02 but they will not adhere to one another, 19:05 just as iron does not mix with clay." 19:09 In other words, God is saying that Rome would remain divided. 19:14 And Rome has remained divided, has it not? 19:17 So the prophecy is unfolding in a specific historical flow, 19:23 beginning with Babylon 19:25 and then foretelling the next four major kingdoms. 19:30 This proves God's sovereignty, it proves his foreknowledge. 19:36 And millions of Christians, 19:37 including millions of Jews have interpreted it this way, 19:43 even the great Protestant Reformers. 19:46 So it comes right down in the dream, 19:48 down to the end of time when a rock that was cut out... 19:53 Was not cut out with hands, 19:54 it comes and this stone hits the image of the feet, 20:00 and the stone breaks it to pieces, 20:02 smatters it to pieces and becomes a great mountain. 20:05 So that's the reassuring promise 20:07 in Daniel 2:44 20:09 of God's final kingdom. 20:11 He says this in Daniel 2:44, 20:14 "And in the days of these kings," 20:16 talking about the ten toes, 20:18 "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom 20:21 which shall never be destroyed, 20:24 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, 20:28 it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, 20:33 and it shall stand forever." 20:35 So when you consider that this image, 20:38 this dream and this image and this interpretation, 20:42 happened 600 years before Jesus, 20:47 it's amazing. 20:49 But you know what, 20:50 there is nothing below the feet in this image. 20:54 We are living in the very toes of this image. 21:01 The end of the time is coming 21:04 and the kingdoms of this world will be crushed with this stone 21:10 that was cut out without hands. 21:13 This is none of man's doing, this is Jesus Christ. 21:17 We are living in the end times. 21:20 So what's the very next thing that's going to happen? 21:23 God will set up His kingdom. 21:28 And so, to me, that is... 21:30 When you see how everything that Daniel predicted, 21:35 from Babylon to Medo-Persia to Greece to Rome, 21:39 Pagan Rome, then divided Europe, 21:42 when you read this, it is such an amazing prophecy. 21:45 Sir Isaac Newton, you remember who he was? 21:48 The famous mathematician and physicist. 21:51 Daniel is the book that convinced him 21:54 that the Word of God was 100% accurate. 21:59 So basically, what we have here, 22:02 the kingdom of God is at hand, 22:05 and I love Daniel's humility 22:07 because what he's saying is only the true God in heaven 22:11 can reveal mysteries. 22:14 And he was a powerful witness. 22:18 The question 22:21 that the Sabbath school answers or asks us is 22:26 what should the cross teach us about humility? 22:31 What does it say to us 22:32 not only about our own sinfulness 22:34 but also about our utter dependence 22:38 upon God for salvation? 22:40 Think about where you would be without the cross. 22:43 Then what would you have to boast about. 22:47 I can't think of anything. 22:49 When you think, you know... 22:50 There are so many people 22:52 who try to blend salvation by grace 22:57 with works. 23:00 And if you read the Bible, 23:03 both the Old and the New Testament, 23:04 make it clear that salvation belongs to the Lord. 23:08 There's nothing that we can do to save ourself. 23:12 And I just want to finish with this one scripture, 23:15 because I think Paul puts it best 23:17 in Galatians 6:14, 23:19 when he says this, "God forbid that I should boast 23:24 except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ 23:28 by whom the world has been crucified to me, 23:32 and I to the world." 23:34 I just want to ask you at home, if you... 23:37 Has the world been crucified to you? 23:39 Does it no longer have the appeal 23:43 that it once had to you? 23:45 Have you been crucified to the world? 23:47 Do you recognize 23:48 that you're a citizen of a heavenly kingdom, 23:51 of God's kingdom? 23:53 If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, 23:56 He came to give us life abundantly on earth 24:01 and the promise of eternal life on that great getting up day 24:06 when He calls us forth from our graves 24:09 and close us with immortality. 24:11 I want to invite you to come to know the Lord 24:14 because He loves you with an everlasting love, 24:18 and He has a great plan for your life. 24:21 I would say it's better than any of us are yet living. 24:25 Amen. Amen. Amen. 24:26 Praise God, praise God. Praise the Lord. 24:28 Well done. Well done. 24:31 I want to piggyback on a couple of things 24:33 that you said, Shelly, 24:35 and there is so much here, 24:37 we tend to look at the story of Daniel 24:42 in the book of Daniel, 24:43 but the book of Daniel is also a study 24:46 in the life of Nebuchadnezzar. 24:48 It is an intense study into the life of a man 24:52 that God did extraordinary things for him, 24:56 and in His sight to try to save him. 24:58 And praise God, at the end, he is saved, 25:00 but God had to go through a lot of measures 25:02 to breakdown a lot of pride 25:04 and a lot of ego to get through. 25:08 If we look at Daniel 2, and let's see, 25:15 let's pick it up at about verse 48. 25:18 "Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many gifts 25:22 and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon 25:26 and the chief administrator 25:28 over all the wise men of Babylon." 25:33 And then Daniel petitioned Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, 25:36 and so they were all promoted. 25:38 So the king is very impressed by what he is seeing. 25:42 He is hyper-impressed 25:43 by this display of prophetic power by God. 25:50 His heart is softened. 25:53 Then the Lord has us take a look at His response 25:59 in Daniel 3 26:01 because this impression obviously was not lasting, 26:04 and we see this several times. 26:06 So now ego takes over, 26:11 I don't want just a head of gold, 26:14 I want an entire gold image 26:17 because I don't want my kingdom to ever end. 26:20 You know, that's a flight of ego. 26:23 And so now we're going to build up this kingdom, 26:27 this image, and I'm going to call everybody in 26:31 from all over the world 26:33 and have them bow down to me 26:35 as a sign of who I am and what I'm all about. 26:42 One of the things the lesson does here 26:44 is it reaches out to Revelation 13:11. 26:50 And, of course, that's the United States in prophecy, 26:52 and you have to take my word on that 26:56 and just study it for yourself, it is. 26:57 But we don't have time to establish that it is. 27:03 But one of the things it's beginning to show here 27:06 is that the drama 27:08 and the trauma of God's people in ancient times 27:11 will be repeated as drama and trauma in the latter day. 27:15 Spiritual Israel is going to go through 27:17 the same drama and trauma as the literal Israel. 27:22 And there are strong parallels 27:27 connecting what Daniel and the three Hebrew worthies 27:31 suffered in Babylon 27:33 as to what God's people are going to suffer 27:36 at the end of time. 27:37 Now let me make a little left turn 27:39 and say this, 27:40 there is a pattern that is clearly designed 27:43 in the Word of God. 27:45 When you have a ruler 27:48 who wags his finger in the face of God... 27:50 Yeah. 27:51 Provocatively or evocatively, and says, 27:56 "Okay, who is this God? 27:59 I don't know him." 28:01 Then God is forced to introduce Himself 28:06 to that ruler. 28:08 And often times, that introduction 28:11 can be traumatic for him, you know. 28:14 We see the same in... 28:16 We see it in three quick examples. 28:18 We see it in Exodus, Pharaoh says, 28:22 "First of all, who is this God? 28:24 I do not know this God, 28:26 and I'm not going to let your people go." 28:27 Well, now God's got to introduce Himself to Pharaoh 28:31 in a very traumatic and dramatic way. 28:35 Sennacherib sends a letter to Hezekiah. 28:38 And it's written in the language 28:40 so that people can understand it. 28:42 He says, "Okay. I am the king. 28:47 Look at the number of countries that I've conquered. 28:50 Everybody has a God, 28:53 and when I came to their country, 28:54 they prayed to their God too. 28:57 Has their God delivered them? 28:59 No. 29:01 And your God is not going to deliver you. 29:04 So don't trust in Hezekiah, 29:05 don't let Hezekiah fool you 29:07 because everybody's got a God 29:09 and everybody is praying 29:10 and nobody has withstood me yet." 29:13 Well, of course, 29:15 God had to introduce Himself to Sennacherib, 29:18 185,000 people perished in one night. 29:21 Sennacherib goes home, 29:23 his own son slay him in his temple 29:27 worshipping his people. 29:29 So now we have Nebuchadnezzar. 29:34 And he's got this same mindset. 29:40 Everybody is going to bow down, 29:43 and if you don't bow down, 29:45 you're going to go into the fiery furnace. 29:48 Now what is interesting, 29:49 he calls all his people together. 29:51 If you look at Daniel 3, 29:53 and this is exciting stuff, Shelley. 29:55 This is just the interplay between God and man 29:58 and how God will pull your ego down, 30:03 and He's merciful and redemptive. 30:06 God will shout just as loud as it takes for you to hear. 30:10 Thank you. 30:11 And if you're hard of hearing, 30:13 He's going to shout a little louder, 30:14 you know, but He's going to your attention. 30:17 So in Daniel 2, I want 3:8. 30:22 You know, you've got this mass of people. 30:25 And this is what they're thinking, 30:26 "Therefore, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward 30:29 and accused the Jews. 30:31 They spoke to the King Nebuchadnezzar, 30:33 they said, "O king, live forever!"" 30:34 They're going to wax him. 30:36 ""You, O king, have made a decree..." 30:38 And to sort of summarize, there are certain people 30:41 that you have made rule over us, they have our jobs, 30:45 they are foreigners, they are in our country, 30:47 and you made them rulers over us. 30:51 And they're not worshipping your image. 30:53 So evidently, Nebuchadnezzar 30:55 didn't see this with his own eyes. 30:58 Yes. 30:59 People came to him, and as we said in monologue, 31:02 drop the dime on the Jews. 31:06 They went and told on them to Nebuchadnezzar. 31:08 Then, of course, now he's in a rage. 31:11 And we know the story of the fiery furnace. 31:15 The parallel is that in these last days, 31:18 God's people are going to have to stand up for the Lord. 31:22 Amen. 31:23 And you're going to have to stand before kings 31:25 and your faith is going to be tested 31:27 and your love for God is going to be tested` 31:30 and your faithfulness, your fidelity... 31:33 Loyalty. 31:34 You're loyalty, thank you, is going to be tested. 31:36 Now here's the question 31:37 that the lesson begs, and I agree. 31:41 What if they had not been delivered? 31:44 What if there had been no fiery furnace experience? 31:48 What if they had perished in the fiery furnace? 31:51 Would God have been any less God? 31:56 Had He not chosen to deliver them? 32:00 He's still God. And they were willing to die. 32:01 And they were willing to die. 32:02 They were saying, "Listen, if He delivers us, fine. 32:05 If not, we're still not bowing down 32:07 because we cannot." 32:09 Job said, "Though he... 32:11 "Slay me." 32:12 "Yet will I trust Him." "Yet will I trust Him." 32:15 So our trust is not based on the loaves and fishes, 32:19 the cookies and milk. 32:20 Our trust is based on our relationship 32:23 with God that supersedes... 32:25 Yes. 32:26 I mean, God has been good enough to all of... 32:28 We can look... 32:30 All of us can look in our past and see where God 32:31 has put His hand in our life... 32:33 Yes. And taking care of us. 32:35 So when you're in the fiery furnace, 32:38 you got to go back to those times 32:41 when you traced God and understood God 32:44 and know that the same God 32:46 who got you here will get you home. 32:49 You know, when it looks black, when it looks bleak, 32:52 and everybody's going to go through that, 32:54 we touched on this in our last study. 32:57 Nobody is going to skate into heaven on roller skates. 33:01 You're going to go in on your knees. 33:04 You're going to go in praying. 33:05 And sometimes it's not going to be clear, 33:07 sometimes it's not going to be in sharp relief, 33:10 sometimes you got to just close your eyes 33:12 and just keep on walking the way you've been walking 33:14 and listen for the footsteps of Jesus 33:16 and put your hand out and find Jesus, 33:18 because it's not going to be clear. 33:20 Every question, it does not... 33:21 It is not God's will to answer every question now. 33:26 One day, every question will be answered, 33:28 every riddle will be solved, but not now. 33:31 Now you've got to trust when you cannot trace. 33:35 And you will find as you trust Him and trace Him 33:38 that God is a faithful God who will bring you out 33:45 for the purpose of taking you in. 33:47 I say this in my last seconds, Hebrews 13:5. 33:52 "We can boldly say," it says... 33:54 Amen. Thank you. 33:56 "God is our helper," boldly say that, 34:01 "what can man do to me?" 34:02 Amen? Amen. 34:03 Nebuchadnezzar cannot hurt me, 34:05 the fiery furnace cannot hurt me, 34:06 be it God's will. 34:08 If He delivers me, praise God. 34:10 If He does not, I know one day, 34:12 there will be ultimate deliverance 34:14 when I see Jesus face-to-face. 34:16 Amen. Amen. 34:18 Oh, that's powerful, Pastor CA. 34:20 We're in church. I just feel like I'm... 34:22 I'm sitting at your feet in church. 34:24 Praise the Lord. Thank you for that. 34:26 What a wonderful God we serve. Amen. 34:28 I mean, how incredible. 34:29 My day is Wednesday, the conversion of the Gentiles. 34:33 And what we're looking at really is the conversion 34:36 of Nebuchadnezzar. 34:37 And you begin to allude to this, 34:39 Pastor CA, in your portion. 34:41 And we also want to look at application 34:43 for us at the end times. 34:44 How God wants us to be converted 34:47 as we move into these end times. 34:50 So let's look at Nebuchadnezzar. 34:51 You know, Miss Yvonne, every time, 34:53 we make that choice, any person 34:57 and make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, 34:59 and at that moment, we stand before the Father 35:02 as if we have never sinned, 35:04 we are in that moment of conversion, 35:05 there is always a history that led up to the conversion. 35:09 Conversion may happen in a moment, 35:11 but God has been working on that individual's heart 35:14 for many years, maybe months, 35:16 maybe from their very beginning. 35:19 And the same is true with Nebuchadnezzar. 35:21 I want to look at, as I look at the Book of Daniel, 35:23 I see six steps 35:25 in Nebuchadnezzar's conversion process. 35:27 So we'll take a look at that. 35:29 Step number one is at the very beginning, 35:31 God brought God-fearing men, slaves to His kingdom. 35:36 That would be Daniel and Shadrach, 35:38 Meshach and Abednego. 35:40 In the kingdom of Babylon, there were not people 35:43 who had knowledge of the true God. 35:46 And God brought these men, not, of course, 35:49 just for this specific purpose of Nebuchadnezzar's conversion, 35:52 but you could say that was a byproduct 35:54 that took place as a result of that. 35:56 Number two, God enabled Daniel 35:59 and his friends to stand for principle. 36:03 We saw that, Brother Johnny talked about that. 36:05 When they stood for principle, 36:07 when they were first brought in, 36:09 and when they said, "Okay, I'm not going to eat 36:12 off the king's food, 36:13 I'm going to stand for principle." 36:15 Now at this time, I think 36:17 the king was still ignorant of... 36:18 Nebuchadnezzar was ignorant of Daniel's God, 36:22 but at the same time, he recognized 36:24 there was something special about them. 36:26 He recognized the superior wisdom 36:30 that they possessed. 36:31 And I'm sure he wondered. 36:33 Step number three, God sent the dream of the image 36:37 and the interpretation of it. 36:40 The king learns at this point that God is all-wise. 36:44 God is able to predict the future. 36:48 And let's look at his response. 36:49 I know we touched on this, but in Daniel 2:46 and 47, 36:54 "Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face prostrate 36:56 before Daniel." 36:58 So he worshipped him, you know, in ancient times, 37:01 this would be the fullest act of adoration 37:03 would be falling on your face before them. 37:07 "And he commanded that they should present 37:08 an offering and incense to them." 37:10 So not only did he worship him, but he acknowledged God 37:13 'cause he said in verse 47, "The king answered Daniel 37:16 and said, "Truly, your God is the God of gods, 37:19 the Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets, 37:22 since you could reveal the secret." 37:25 So at this time, you would think, "Wow! 37:27 Nebuchadnezzar is about ready to make a commitment," 37:31 but actually not. 37:32 As, Pastor CA talked about, his ego started 37:36 to get in the way again, and we see Daniel 3, 37:40 which Pastor CA so eloquently touched on. 37:42 This is step number four 37:44 in Nebuchadnezzar's conversion process. 37:46 "God delivered the Hebrews from the fiery furnace." 37:49 And Nebuchadnezzar learned that God is not only able 37:52 to predict the future, God is not only wise, 37:55 God is all-powerful, God can do anything. 38:01 We see Nebuchadnezzar's response in Daniel 3:28, 38:06 he said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, 38:09 and Abednego, who sent His angel 38:11 and delivered His servants who trusted in Him." 38:15 But then at the same time, he said, 38:16 "If all of you people don't worship this God, 38:21 I'm going to cut you in pieces and make your house dunghill." 38:24 So we can see the conversion process. 38:26 It's not really taking place yet, 38:28 even though he acknowledged God is all-powerful. 38:32 So God in His mercy, 38:33 now this is Nebuchadnezzar ruled, what, 42 years or so, 38:37 over 40 years. 38:38 This is the second half of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. 38:41 So we're getting toward the end of his reign. 38:44 And still pride is a big thing in his life, 38:48 and God in His mercy, 38:49 number five in the conversion process, 38:52 God sent a dream as a warning to Nebuchadnezzar. 38:56 Now we know this dream. 38:57 We're in Daniel 4, 38:58 we won't read this entire chapter. 39:01 But he saw a tree, and it was super tall and broad 39:06 and the leaves were green and glossy and grey foliage. 39:10 It had fruit, wonderful fruits in this tree, 39:13 and the birds made their home, and the bees, 39:15 they had shade underneath. 39:18 And all of a sudden, a holy one came down and said, 39:21 "Cut the tree down, leave the stump 39:23 with an iron band around it until seven times pass over." 39:29 Verse 17, it says, "'The decision is 39:32 by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence, 39:34 by the Word of the holy ones, 39:36 in order that the living may know 39:38 that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men 39:40 and gives it to whomever he will." 39:43 Now at this point, 39:45 Nebuchadnezzar still doesn't know 39:46 what the dream means, and Daniel comes in provides 39:49 the interpretation for the dream, 39:51 "You, O king, are the tree, 39:53 and God is about ready to cut you down, 39:55 not to destroy you, but redemptively," 39:59 remember the iron band is left there, 40:00 and after seven times, he would be restored. 40:04 And so all the other times, 40:05 you see Nebuchadnezzar's response. 40:07 But in this time, I like it because there is an appeal. 40:10 I never saw an appeal in the other times 40:13 when God was trying to get Nebuchadnezzar's attention. 40:15 We see the appeal in verse 27, "Therefore, O king, 40:19 let my advice be acceptable to you, 40:21 break off your sins by being righteous, 40:25 and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. 40:28 Perhaps there may be a lengthening 40:30 of your prosperity." 40:33 You know, at this point, Daniel is pointing out 40:35 the root of Nebuchadnezzar's sin 40:37 which is pride and arrogance, 40:39 and also the fruit of Nebuchadnezzar's sin, 40:42 which is self-promotion and oppression of the poor. 40:46 But Nebuchadnezzar does not respond, 40:49 like he did in Daniel 2 when he fell down on his face 40:51 before the king. 40:53 He does not respond like he did in Daniel 3 and said, 40:55 "Truly, God is all-powerful and God overall." 40:58 He doesn't change at all. 41:00 It says... 41:01 Verse 29, at the end of 12 months, 41:03 he's walking about the royal palace in Babylon. 41:06 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon 41:09 I have built for a royal dwelling 41:11 by my mighty power 41:12 and for the honor of my majesty?" 41:14 His response, he is still just as prideful. 41:17 We still see the root of sin. 41:19 We still see the fruit of sin evident in his life. 41:22 So God takes step number six in the conversion process, 41:26 God brings that dream to fulfillment. 41:30 I believe God uses the gentlest means necessary, 41:34 the gentlest means possible to get our attention. 41:39 And in Nebuchadnezzar's case, 41:41 it took some pretty drastic measures. 41:43 I don't know if I know of anybody else 41:45 who was driven from their kingdom, 41:47 who ate grass like an animal, who seemed to have 41:51 lost his reason, and yet seven times, 41:56 seven years in Aramaic passed over him. 42:00 and Nebuchadnezzar recognized God 42:03 as who He was on the throne, his reason was restored. 42:07 This is the point Nebuchadnezzar's 42:09 conversion taking place. 42:11 And verse 37, "I, Nebuchadnezzar, 42:13 praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, 42:17 all of whose works are truth and His ways justice. 42:20 And those who walk in pride, He is able to put down." 42:25 The lowest point of the king's life 42:27 was the point at when he accepted Jesus Christ. 42:30 All that happened to the king is not 42:32 for his ultimate destruction, but for his deliverance, 42:36 for his salvation, for his restoration 42:39 because the Lord Jesus loved him and said, 42:43 "I do not want to spend eternity without you, 42:46 o king Nebuchadnezzar." 42:48 You know, Nebuchadnezzar's problem 42:49 was an "I" problem, a pride problem, 42:52 sin originated in heaven, we talked about this last week, 42:56 with Lucifer, with self-seeking, and Jesus, 43:00 from the cradle to the cross, lived to bless others. 43:03 His life is self-sacrificing love. 43:06 So I want to leave you with four points at the end 43:09 of my time here for your conversion, 43:12 for our conversion. 43:13 Number one, we need to recognize who God is. 43:16 Nebuchadnezzar came to that point, 43:18 recognized who God is, think of Isaiah, 43:21 when he had the vision of God high and lifted up 43:24 with His glory filling the temple. 43:26 He recognized who God is. 43:28 Number two, we need to recognize our own sinfulness, 43:30 our own unworthiness. 43:33 Romans 3:23, "All have sinned 43:36 and fallen short of the glory of God." 43:38 And if you feel in that state today, 43:40 you feel like you have sinned and you feel like 43:42 you are so far from God, there is hope, Romans 2:4, 43:46 "The goodness of God leads us to repentance." 43:50 And that leads us to Step number three, 43:52 receive Christ's forgiveness, accept his cleansing. 43:56 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, 43:59 He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins 44:02 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 44:05 One of my favorite scriptures is John 6:37, Jesus says, 44:08 "Whoever comes to me, I will never cast away." 44:13 Come to Jesus right now as you are, He will forgive, 44:16 He will accept, He will cleanse. 44:19 And number four, He will enable you 44:21 to walk in newness of life. 44:24 Colossians 2:6, "As you have received Christ Jesus, 44:27 the Lord, so walk you in Him." 44:30 God had to do drastic measures 44:32 to get Nebuchadnezzar's attention, 44:34 but he chose to accept the Lord Jesus. 44:37 And just want to encourage you 44:38 to accept Him for yourself as well. 44:40 Amen. Thank you so much, Jill. 44:43 That was so powerful. Praise the Lord. 44:44 In fact, all of the insights that the Lord has given 44:47 to each of you has just been such a blessing to me. 44:50 And my lesson is Thursday. 44:53 And it's on the faithfulness of Daniel. 44:56 And really you have to set the whole lesson in context. 45:01 You know, when you talk about the faithfulness of Daniel, 45:03 this lesson starts with chapter 6 of Daniel, 45:07 but actually we need to start even before chapter 1. 45:11 We need to look at Daniel 45:13 in the context of his family life 45:16 and how those traits of faithfulness 45:19 and the elements that faithfulness 45:22 and devotion that God put into him. 45:24 Actually didn't start when he was in the palace, 45:27 it started in his home, where his parents instilled 45:31 in him with the laws, the principle of health 45:35 that Brother Johnny was even bringing out earlier 45:38 that these things God gave the children of Israel, 45:42 these principles to live by. 45:45 And the Bible says, "Train up a child in the way 45:47 he should go and when he's old, he will not depart from it." 45:49 And so it was with Daniel and his companions. 45:54 God gave them these principles in childhood, 45:58 and they were able to live them out in the palace. 46:02 So let's fast forward a little bit to chapter 1 46:06 where Daniel's in the palace and Ashpenaz 46:11 who is the chief of the eunuchs, 46:13 of the King's eunuchs. 46:15 Looks at him and his companions, 46:18 and Daniel is beset with all of these delicacies 46:25 and wine. 46:26 And he and his friends are like, 46:28 "We can't, we can't do this. 46:30 You know, God has said we cannot eat like this." 46:33 But not only was that food 46:39 the king's meat and also unclean, 46:43 it had also been offered to idols. 46:45 And so they could not eat food that was offered to idols. 46:50 That was part of the tradition in the Babylonian realm. 46:55 So they said, "No, we're not going to partake of this." 47:00 But Daniel used a little discretion, 47:03 instead of him saying, "No, we're not going to do it," 47:07 he basically was saying, "Just give us ten days, 47:10 10 days, and if it doesn't work, 47:13 then we'll revisit it basically." 47:15 But he wasn't saying that he would ever eat 47:17 of the king's meat. 47:18 So Daniel and his companions distinguished themselves 47:24 as a cut above the rest. 47:26 In fact, they were 10 times, they were considered 10 times 47:30 better than all the others in that kingdom. 47:34 So let's consider Daniel's life and his faithfulness 47:38 through the elements of faithfulness, 47:42 determination, dependence, devotion, and discipline. 47:48 Now there are some more, like duty and discretion, 47:50 but, you know, let's just go 47:52 with these in the interest of time. 47:55 Determination, chapter 1:8. 48:00 "Daniel purposed in his heart 48:04 that he wasn't going to defile himself 48:06 with the portion of the king's delicacy 48:10 nor with the wine which he drank." 48:12 And one writer said that the king didn't compel 48:15 Daniel or the other, his companions, 48:19 to renounce their faith, but was hoping that 48:22 by changing their names to these Chaldean deities, 48:26 by bringing them daily into close association 48:29 with idolatrous customs 48:31 and under the influence of seductive rites 48:34 of heathen worship, he could just win them over. 48:38 That's what Satan is trying to do with us today. 48:42 He puts us in situations where we are surrounded 48:47 by heathen types of influences. 48:52 And we are being called upon to have determination, 48:56 just like Daniel and his companions did, 48:59 to purpose in our hearts that we are not going 49:02 to eat off the king's meal or we're not going to succumb 49:06 to the customs and traditions 49:09 and rites of the current society. 49:13 In 1 Corinthians 10:20, Paul addresses the very issue 49:18 of food being offered to idols, just like the food 49:22 that was being offered to Daniel. 49:25 Paul said, "The things which the Gentiles sacrificed, 49:29 they sacrificed to demons and not to God. 49:32 And I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 49:35 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord 49:38 and the cup of demons, 49:39 you cannot partake of the Lord's table 49:41 and of the table of demons." 49:43 And in verse 28 of the same chapter, it says, 49:46 "If anyone says to you this was offered to idols, 49:49 do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you 49:53 and for conscious sake." 49:54 So Daniel determined in his heart 49:58 that he was going to honor God above all, 50:01 and that's what God is expecting of us. 50:04 The next thing is dependence. 50:07 Daniel was totally dependent upon God. 50:11 Every day, he was surrounded by colleagues 50:14 who practiced magic and astrology. 50:17 These are things that God had forbidden. 50:20 In Deuteronomy 18, we are told that these things 50:24 are forbidden, and yet that's what 50:26 was happening in that realm. 50:28 But what's interesting to me is that Daniel 50:31 and his companions got promoted. 50:35 They were promoted, they weren't practicing 50:37 those things, but they were promoted to administration. 50:40 So they were actually letting people know 50:44 that they weren't practicing, 50:45 but they were over all those who were 50:48 The third element is devotion. 50:51 And in chapter 6, 50:52 we find Darius reorganizing his kingdom. 50:55 He had 120 officials. 50:57 And he placed three governors over them, 51:00 and Daniel was the chief. 51:03 The bottom line is there was a professional jealousy 51:09 that took place. 51:10 These guys were like, and I think Pastor CA 51:13 brought this up, foreigners, foreigners, Daniel, 51:17 and his companions, foreigners who were placed over them, 51:21 so they were angry, and they decided 51:23 they were going to go after Daniel. 51:25 So these local officials got together, 51:27 and they tried to figure out 51:28 just how they could trap Daniel, 51:31 but he was perfect in the way he administered things. 51:35 They couldn't find any fault. 51:37 So they figured we've got to think of some way to get him. 51:41 The only way is through his relationship with his God. 51:44 So that's what they did, they went to the king, 51:46 they said to the king, "You know, 51:48 that we need for you to sign a decree that says 51:55 if anybody that worships any other god 51:57 or goes to any other man or god other than you, 52:00 should be tossed into the lion's den." 52:02 Well, the king signed it. 52:04 And then, later with Daniel, when he found out 52:09 what was done, he went home and what did he do? 52:13 Did he go into the Christian witness protection program? 52:16 No. 52:18 He kept his window up, he prayed before his God, 52:21 He petitioned his God just like he always did. 52:24 Three times a day, he prayed before his God. 52:28 And so they went back, the local officials went back, 52:31 and they told the king what Daniel had done. 52:36 He had to be thrown into the lion's den 52:38 because these decrees could not be undone. 52:42 So Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, 52:44 and you know the story. 52:46 God delivered him, just like he will deliver us 52:51 from anything that we're dealing with. 52:53 God is there. The last D is discipline. 52:57 Daniel prayed three times a day, every day. 53:01 Do we have that discipline? 53:02 You know, as I was studying this, I was thinking to myself, 53:05 I felt really convicted because I don't... 53:09 I feel like I'm not praying enough, 53:11 like I need to be praying more, and the more we look at 53:15 some of these characters and, especially Jesus, 53:18 of course, the more we realize 53:20 that there's so much that we need to do. 53:24 So how does this relate to the last days? 53:27 Worship in the last days is going to be a key, 53:31 a key element. 53:33 And Daniel worshipped God through it all. 53:37 And we are to worship God through every situation. 53:42 God is sovereign, God has got our backs, 53:45 God is not going to let us down. 53:47 And if we show determination, dependence, devotion, 53:51 and discipline, God will be there 53:54 through it all to bring us through. 53:56 These are the qualities 53:58 that we need to cultivate right now. 54:01 And we don't even have to do it on our own, 54:03 the Holy Spirit will give us what we need to do. 54:07 And so if we just hold on, 54:09 know that we are in the last days, 54:12 but God will never leave us, He will never forsake us. 54:16 He will be there through it all if we just press through 54:21 and continue to be faithful to Him. 54:24 Amen. Amen. 54:26 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 54:28 So we've been studying lesson number two, 54:29 Daniel and the Time of the End. 54:31 And it has been a very interesting study. 54:33 We hope that you have been blessed. 54:34 Again, I would like to tell you about the study guides, 54:36 you can get them at ABSG.Adventist.org. 54:40 ABSG.Adventist.org. Daniel and the End Time. 54:44 I would like to know if any one of you would like 54:47 to share anything additional as we close this part. 54:51 Well, I'll start and that is that 54:54 God has a plan of salvation, 54:56 and that plan is total dependence upon Him. 55:00 And if you will remember that, 55:03 that's what humility is all about. 55:05 We talk about surrender, it means that you're yielding 55:09 to God's leading, that you are consenting 55:12 to His leading. 55:13 And if you will remember that God, Jesus Christ, 55:17 is more than your substitute, He is your surety, 55:21 He will work in you to will and to do His good pleasure. 55:24 So humility is being completely dependent upon God. 55:27 Amen, and, Pastor CA, anything? 55:29 We have a friend, ambassador of Ben Tejano, 55:31 we all know him from the Philippines. 55:33 He has been an ambassador 55:35 through successive administrations. 55:36 Yes. 55:37 Because he's a Christian, he's an Adventist, 55:39 and he carries his Jesus with him. 55:41 Daniel was an ambassador, was a leader through 55:44 four administrations, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, 55:47 Cyrus, Darius. 55:49 And he succeeded in all of those 55:52 because of the spirit that was within him. 55:54 I was looking at Proverbs 22:29, 55:57 "Seest thou a man diligent in his ways? 55:58 He shall stand before kings". 56:00 So he was diligent, he was humbled, 56:02 he was surrendered. 56:03 The question is this, can God trust us with success? 56:07 You know, can God trust us to elevate us, 56:10 and we take the name of Jesus with us? 56:12 For many success means walking away from God, 56:15 but God could elevate Daniel 56:17 because He knew Daniel would stay on the Lord's side. 56:20 That's a question for each of us. 56:21 Can God trust us with success? Amen. 56:23 Amen. Amen. 56:25 You know as we look at the lesson, 56:27 Daniel and the End Time. 56:29 And we have looked at different things 56:31 that Daniel and his friends faced. 56:33 This is an example to us, and we are going to 56:36 face different challenges in our individual lives. 56:39 And we are grateful to the Lord because he's not going 56:41 to allow us to go through anything 56:44 that we cannot bear. 56:45 And the wonderful thing is He promises to be with us, 56:48 He was with Daniel and his friends, 56:50 He was with the friends in the Daniel 56:53 and the lion's den. 56:54 He was with his friends in the fiery furnace. 56:57 And He promises to be with you. 56:59 And what we have seen as an example here 57:02 in the Book of Daniel as we study. 57:03 These things are going to help us 57:06 face our lives challenges. 57:07 I encourage you to let Jesus in and allow Him 57:10 to leading your life, and you will find 57:12 that He gives you peace and happiness 57:14 that begins in this world and continues forever. 57:16 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-05-17